Film buffs take note: Two must-see movies are hitting big screens in Charlotte over the next two days.

First up, tonight The Light Factory presents a screening of “Blank City,” which chronicles the birth of the “No Wave Cinema” movement that was birthed in the economically bankrupt “wasteland” of New York City in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The documentary turns the spotlight on luminaries like actor Steve Buscemi and hip hop legend Fab 5 Freddy, among many other notables. Runs through Jan. 21. $5 (members); $7 non-members. 7:30 p.m. The Light Factory, 345 N. College St. For more information: www.lightfactory.org.

Then on Friday, film legend George Lucas’ “Red Tails” arrives at multiplexes in the Q.C. (and around the nation). Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you’ve undoubtedly caught wind of the controversy surrounding the film (which stars actors like Terrence Howard, Ne-Yo and more and tells the story of the famed Tuskegee Airmen). According to Lucas, Hollywood studios weren’t interested in financing the movie because of fear that its all-black cast couldn’t cash in at the box office; that makes seeing the movie — for many folks — a political act designed to prove the status-quo movie industry wrong. Starts Jan. 20. For showtimes and more information, visit: www.redtails2012.com.

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